Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Reckless III: The Golden Yarn

Fairytales have
long told of magic mirrors and Cornelia Funke’s Reckless series – a story inspired by the Grimm brothers – features
one that is a portal to an alternate fantasy world (‘Mirrorworld’).

In The Golden Yarn, Jacob discovers a
Rumpelstiltskin-like character (Spieler) in the human world, while trying to
hide the legendary crossbow he found in Living
Shadows. It seems the Reckless brothers are not the only ones who can cross
between worlds … and theirs is not the only mirror.

Funke slowly
weaves us through the plots and subplots of this third story in the series, as
we absorb the details of the world she has built. First, Kami’en and Amelie’s
baby goes missing. Then, the Dark Fairy disappears. Clara is in a Sleeping
Beauty slumber so Will is seeking the Dark Fairy. Jacob is looking for Will …
with several distractions along the way. He meets elf siblings, ‘Sixteen’ and
‘Seventeen’, who steal faces from mirrors to disguise themselves. He also meets
… his long-lost father! Having struck a painful deal with Spieler, Jacob keeps
his distance from his true love (Fox), who then falls in love with someone
else. We also learn more about Will’s cursed skin from the first book, The Petrified Flesh.

This series will
appeal to young adult readers of fantasy, particularly fans of Funke’s prior
works (such as the Inkheart trilogy).
Reading the first two novels in the series is a must as Funke releases crucial
details at different points across the series. There is always a sense that she
knows much more than she has revealed! Admittedly, this can either hook her
readers or frustrate them.

Funke has
revised and re-released The Petrified
Flesh, retaining the original story but adding more depth to her
characters. (The portrayal of darkness and light in her characters is
definitely her forte, with her writing beautifully depicting the hesitation in
their actions.) The second novel, Living
Shadows, has also been re-jacketed. She is currently working on a fourth
book in the series.